1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to construction materials. More particularly, the invention relates to interlocking building panels.
2. Description of the Related Art
Although more economical than custom or handmade structures, commercially available modular buildings leave much to be desired from the standpoint of cost, ease of assembly and reparability. One solution that has been tried by the building industry, is to manufacture walls which are formed of a large single integral fiberglass molded panel. However, these panels are bulky and cumbersome. Use of these large prefabricated panels increase handling, transportation, as well as, building costs. Further, a builder is limited to the size of the panel when determining the size of building which is to be constructed, or alternatively forced to manually cut the size of the paneling.
In the interest of keeping manufacturing costs low, prefabricated building manufacturers normally offer only a few building styles or models, i.e., a few combinations of a few different wall panels. Customization of a building for a particular appearance, use and/or weather conditions can increase manufacturing costs even if the customization is only moderate.
Apart from the disadvantages attendant in construction and assembly of prior art fabricated whole wall panel buildings, such buildings may prove difficult as well as expensive to repair. For example, severe damage to a portion to a wall may necessitate the replacement of the entire wall.
Although some have attempted to provide solutions, their success has been limited. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,742,672 to Schaufele, entitled "Modular Building Panel having Interlocking Edge Structure," discloses an interlocking panel structure. However, the Schaufele invention fails to satisfy several goals. First, in Schaufele the interlocking mechanism is not very secure. The interlocking panels of Schaufele are held together by tongue and socket connections. Although Schaufele teaches the use of additional fastening devices, these fastening devices increase the price of manufacturing. Further, Schaufele requires the use of a sealing element to provide a fluid-tight seal. However, the use of the sealing element increases the cost of manufacture of the building. Additionally, after the sealing element is applied, it is extremely difficult to disconnect the panels which may be needed if the building is to be dismantled or if one of the panels is in need of repair.
One additional problem that is associated with traditional building systems is that they require the use of a frame. Each additional building component that is needed to manufacture a building increases the total cost of construction.